the eldest
noun
—used in comparing the ages of people who are members of the same family
He's the eldest of her three brothers.
Examples of the eldest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, Abby went from being the eldest to having two older siblings in Elijah and Chloe — and Chloe went from being the only girl to suddenly having three sisters.
—
Susan Young, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
The family later moved to Muskogee, Okla., where Allen was the eldest of six daughters and two sons.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2023
An appeals court has already dismissed Trump from the case — which mostly surrounds Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump's business dealings — but New York Attorney General Letitia James is still seeking the eldest Trump daughter as a witness.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2023
Recommended In Gaza, a different view of the Hamas raid on Israel
Born in 1964 to a farming couple in a cave high on a barren hillside a few miles away, Ms. Bai was the eldest of five children – four girls and a boy.
—Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2023
Williams played Greg, the eldest of the Brady children, while Henderson portrayed Carol, the matriarch of the family, in the classic sitcom.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023
Dianne Emiel Goldman was born in San Francisco on June 22, 1933, the eldest of three daughters of Dr. Leon Goldman and Betty (Rosenburg) Goldman.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2023
Ren’s communication is often curt and there aren’t enough scenes in which the eldest daughter reveals her own desires, her thoughts or her life outside of the family vacation.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2023
Where did Feinstein's wealth come from? Feinstein grew up in the prosperous Presidio Terrace neighborhood of San Francisco, the eldest of three daughters born to Dr. Leon Goldman, a surgeon, and Betty Goldman, according to the Jewish Women's Archive.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2023
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Susan Young, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
The family later moved to Muskogee, Okla., where Allen was the eldest of six daughters and two sons.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2023
An appeals court has already dismissed Trump from the case — which mostly surrounds Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump's business dealings — but New York Attorney General Letitia James is still seeking the eldest Trump daughter as a witness.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2023
Recommended In Gaza, a different view of the Hamas raid on Israel
Born in 1964 to a farming couple in a cave high on a barren hillside a few miles away, Ms. Bai was the eldest of five children – four girls and a boy.
—Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2023
Williams played Greg, the eldest of the Brady children, while Henderson portrayed Carol, the matriarch of the family, in the classic sitcom.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023
Dianne Emiel Goldman was born in San Francisco on June 22, 1933, the eldest of three daughters of Dr. Leon Goldman and Betty (Rosenburg) Goldman.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2023
Ren’s communication is often curt and there aren’t enough scenes in which the eldest daughter reveals her own desires, her thoughts or her life outside of the family vacation.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2023
Where did Feinstein's wealth come from? Feinstein grew up in the prosperous Presidio Terrace neighborhood of San Francisco, the eldest of three daughters born to Dr. Leon Goldman, a surgeon, and Betty Goldman, according to the Jewish Women's Archive.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the eldest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“The eldest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20eldest. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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